Kristi Scales, the sideline reporter for the Dallas Cowboys radio network, answered questions about the team in a live chat Monday. Here are some highlights.

Q: Had Ezekiel Elliott been punished by the NFL for the Vegas altercation, would that have been his last strike with the Cowboys for them to hold back on giving him an extension?

Scales: It may have cost him some guaranteed money, but the Cowboys plan to re-sign Zeke, even if he missed a game or two this season due to suspension. He's too valuable to the Cowboys offense; he's a special player who can do all phases of the game at an elite level. The Cowboys are keeping him in the fold.

Q: Who is most valuable to the Cowboys: Dak Prescott, Ezekiel Elliott or Amari Cooper?

Scales: Dak plays the most important and most difficult position in the NFL: quarterback. So it's hard to go with anyone other than Dak.

But we know that Zeke is the workhorse and the identity of the Cowboys offense. He's the MVP from last season. And if he weren't suspended in 2017, the Cowboys would have made the playoffs that year, too. So it's hard to argue against Zeke.

Amari made the biggest difference last season: we saw how inept the passing attack was before Amari's arrival via the trade with the Raiders. He made a huge impact on the season.

Can we all just agree that each and every one of those three is valuable and necessary for this team to be among the NFC elite? Offenses in football are like a camera tripod. Pass/run/QB -- you need all three for the tripod to remain upright.

Q: Is it crazy for the Cowboys to consider not re-signing Dak Prescott at all?

Scales: The longer Dak Prescott and his agent wait to sign a contract extension, the higher the price tag goes up for the Cowboys to keep their franchise quarterback. The market price for quarterbacks continues to escalate, and there's no going back down for a quality QB, especially one with a winning record like Prescott.

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As for not re-signing Dak at all? Give me a break. That's crazy talk. Of course the Cowboys are keeping their young, franchise QB who has won 32 regular season games in three seasons and taken his team to the playoffs twice in his first three years. He's a winner, period.

And he's durable, unlike the QB of the same draft class that he is most often compared to: Carson Wentz.

The contract extension given by the Philadelphia Eagles to franchise QB Carson Wentz in early June immediately prompted speculation on what impact Wentz's deal will have on negotiations between the Cowboys and their franchise QB, Dak Prescott.

Wentz's four-year, $128 million extension (including a reported $66 million due at signing, and $107.8 million guaranteed) means that Wentz is under contract for the next six seasons at $154 million with the opportunity to increase the total to $170 million.

Wentz's new deal averages $32 million per season, which was obviously noted by Dak Prescott and his agent as negotiations continue with Jerry and Stephen Jones. Prescott confirmed with reporters during OTAs last month that both sides have exchanged proposals.

The Cowboys and Prescott are on the clock. The longer the clock ticks, the higher the price tag. Other young franchise QBs like [Jared] Goff are going to continue to drive up the cost, so it's imperative the Cowboys get a deal done before the other guys in line sign on the dotted line.

And guess who was in the 2017 draft class, the year after Goff/Wentz/Prescott? Some dude named Patrick Mahomes, who the Chiefs will not let get away. Man, he's got to be licking his chops knowing that next year he'll be at the front of the line for an extension! He's rooting for guys like Prescott and Goff to keep ratcheting up the guarantees and average salary.